“Transforming Homelessness Through Skill Development, Dignity & Long-term Behavioral Change”
Greetings, my name is Dr. Rick Wadsworth—a self-funded, self-directed homeless advocate and educator in Salt Lake City. I have spent a year doing “man-on-the-street” interviews with the homeless to ascertain their needs, learn their struggles, understand their culture, and figure out where the gaps exist in government policy. What I discovered is that only the symptoms of homelessness are being addressed (i.e. lack of food & shelter) but not the causes of it (i.e. childhood trauma & abuse, family dysfunction, poor role-models, anti-social behaviors, gang-life, incarceration, job loss, skyrocketing rent, medical bills, inability to manage emotions, anxiety/depression, drug addiction, etc.). As a result, most are stuck at the bottom with no way out and the problem only getting worse.
This outreach has 3 audiences in mind—1) the public who needs to see the homeless with more accuracy—less fear—and increased compassion and concern 2) the politicians who only focus on resource-distribution instead of education that changes hearts, minds, and behaviors that are essential for long-term success and 3) the homeless who need to learn life-skills, emotion-regulation, holistic healing, self-compassion through trauma recovery work, 12-step principles (or NA), and embrace strength-based counseling. Additionally, most need to learn how to make & keep goals, develop accountability, manage money, and for some, pro-social skills. *Fear, mistrust, and attachment issues go hand-in-hand with homelessness and mental health struggles, and should be considered part of any future program development. This Psychology Today article mirrors my experience on the streets.
All of us need to understand our divine worth & potential and how to connect with our Higher Power (as we understand him), and receive strength, drive, and perspective to move ahead and succeed. This understanding—coupled with specific education and full wrap-around services—is foundational to long-term transformation because it incorporates principles and patterns that lead to growth and success—for if we only feed the stomach and not the brain or the spirit, then we are effectively keeping people on insufferable life-support.
This site is a call-to-action to: 1) create public awareness & political dialogue 2) encourage people to donate much needed supplies and 3) locate venues throughout the valley to teach free lifestyle classes and holistic healing.
In order to fix homelessness, new channels of learning and insight must open up for all parties involved—the public, the politicians, and those living on the streets—and resources directed accordingly. Please join me in this critical fight to save lives that are literally hanging in the balance because of freezing temperatures, violence, abuse, trafficking, suicide and overdose.
*A great thanks to all of those currently engaged in helping, blessing, and serving the poor & needy among us—you are the bedrock minority and already on a heavenly errand. Thank you! Hopefully as others scroll these pages, they too will see ways to get involved to alleviate suffering and bring some normalcy to a lifestyle that is anything but normal.
Keep reading, clicking & learning— and welcome aboard.
